Wiper lever comprising a wiper arm and wiper blade which is connected to the same in an articulated manner, for cleaning windows, especially windows pertaining to motor vehicles

ABSTRACT

Wiper lever ( 10 ) with a driven wiper arm ( 12 ) and a wiper blade ( 14 ) linked to it for cleaning the windows of motor vehicles in particular, which is provided with a band-like, long-stretched-out, elastic supporting element ( 22 ) that is curved in the longitudinal direction over its band surfaces ( 26, 28 ), which features a rubber elastic wiper strip ( 30 ) that can be applied to the window on its concave curved band surface ( 26 ), on whose convex curved band surface ( 28 ) a coupling element ( 20 ) sits to connect the wiper blade to a coupling piece ( 18 ) of the wiper arm and the articulated connection is covered by a cap ( 100 ) that is held on the wiper blade. A well-designed, pleasing transition between the wiper arm and the wiper blade of the wiper lever along with good protection of the articulated connection that exists between these two components of the wiper lever are achieved without impairing the handling of the securing means in that this articulated connection has at its disposal means to secure the connection between the wiper arm ( 12 ) and the wiper blade ( 14 ) that can be actuated with at least one handle ( 80 ) and that the cap ( 100 ) accommodates the handle ( 80 ).

PRIOR ART

In the case of a known wiper lever of the type designated in thepre-characterizing clause of the independent claim (PCT/DE 0104307) acap is supposed to protect the articulated connection in existencebetween the wiper arm and the wiper blade from environmental influencesand produce an optically appealing transition from the wiper arm to thewiper blade. In addition, the cap is supposed to conceal edges and gapsthat are produced in the transition area and thereby counteract thegeneration of undesired air stream noise. However, the smooth-runningability of the articulation should not be impaired in any way in theprocess. No references can be found there concerning the type and thestructure of a connecting device, in particular concerning any securingmeans that are possibly present there and the manner of their actuation.It also remains open whether the cap must first be removed to possiblyoperate said securing means.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

In the case of an arrangement in accordance with the invention with thecharacterizing features of Claim 1, the cap accommodates the securingmeans present on the wiper lever including the handle in such a way thatthis handle lies ready for actuation at least within the contour of thecap. In addition, unintentionally actuating the accommodated securingmeans via the handle that has been thusly secured is practicallyexcluded as long as the wiper lever encompassing the wiper arm and thewiper blade is in the operating position.

In a development of the invention, an adapter, which can be connected tothe coupling piece of the wiper arm and is a part of the articulatedconnection, is linked to the coupling element of the wiper blade, onwhich adapter the handle for the securing means is arranged, wherein theembodiment of the cap permits the actuation of the securing means.Because of this measure, actuating the handle or the securing meanslocated on the adapter on the wiper-blade side requires no specialassembly steps, e.g., removing the cap in order to operate the handle.

In order to achieve an automatic effect of the securing means whenattaching the wiper blade to the wiper arm, the adapter is composed ofan elastic plastic, which has locking means that form the securingmeans, that can be actuated via the handle and that can be deflectedagainst a restoring force transverse to the longitudinal extension ofthe supporting element in an at least almost parallel plane to its bandwidth, which locking means cooperate with counter locking means embodiedon the coupling piece of the wiper arm.

The cap is expediently embodied to be trough-like and faces thesupporting element with its trough edge. The cap is provided with apenetration opening for the wiper arm, wherein the adapter is equippedwith the handle projecting towards the longitudinal trough wall of thecap. Therefore, the projecting handle is easily recognizable as such andalso simple to use.

With a specific embodiment of the articulated connection it isadvantageous to provide the trough wall of the cap that is adjacent tothe handle with a recess that is allocated to the handle, which recesssimplifies the operation of the securing means via the handle.

An additional improvement in the optical effect and the operation of thesecuring means is achieved if the handle projects into the recess andthereby fills out this recess to a large extent.

A closed, optically pleasing embodiment of the arrangement in accordancewith the invention is achieved if the trough wall of the cap that isadjacent to the handle is provided on its inner side with a groove-likeindentation, which extends from the penetration opening to the troughedge and in addition the handle projects into this indentation.

An especially advantageous embodiment of the invention is yielded inthat the trough wall of the cap manufactured of an elastic plastic thatis adjacent to the handle features an elastically yielding area that isallocated to the handle. Operating the handle or the securing means ofthe connecting device is then possible in a simple manner via thedeformation of the elastically yielding area.

A cost-effective embodiment of this elastically yielding area isachieved in accordance with an advantageous development of the inventionin that this is formed by at least one slot-like break-through in thetough wall that partially encompasses this area.

In order to limit the elastic deformation of the trough wall required toactuate the securing means to the extent required for this, it hasproven to be expedient if the elastically yielding area of the troughwall is provided with a support on its inner side that extends towardsthe handle.

An especially operationally reliable embodiment of the securing means isachieved in that the securing means feature two handles arranged at adistance from one another in their deflected direction, wherein thesecuring of the connection between the wiper arm and the wiper blade isdetached in the deflected position of the handles when they approach oneanother.

To simplify assembly of the cap on the supporting element of the wiperblade, the cap is locked with the supporting element.

In an additional embodiment of the invention, the supporting element isprovided with at least two limit stops each pointing in opposinglongitudinal directions, to which corresponding counter limit stops ofthe cap are allocated. The assembly position of the cap on the wiperblade or on the supporting element is automatically defined as a result.A corresponding coordination of the limit stops and the counter limitstops with one another defines the position of the cap on the wiperblade in such a way that the handle of the securing means is situated atthe position of the cap that is provided for this.

Additional advantageous further developments and embodiments of theinventions are disclosed in the following description of the exemplaryembodiments depicted in the associated drawing.

DRAWINGS

The drawing shows:

FIG. 1 The side view of a wiper lever in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 A perspective, enlarged detail designated by II in FIG. 1depicting a device to connect a wiper blade with a wiper arm, without acap.

FIG. 3 An exploded representation of the arrangement in accordance withFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 A section along Line IV-IV in FIGS. 2 and 5 with the sectionleading through the entire wiper blade.

FIG. 5 The arrangement shown in FIG. 2 provided with a cap and a handlein a first operating position.

FIG. 6 The arrangement in accordance with FIG. 5 shown without a secondoperating position.

FIG. 7 A perspective representation of the cap belonging to thearrangement in accordance with FIGS. 2 through 6.

FIG. 8 Another connecting device provided with a cap in a firstoperating position.

FIG. 9 The device in accordance with FIG. 8 in a second operatingposition.

FIG. 10 The perspective representation of the cap belonging to thearrangement in accordance with FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 11 Another embodiment of the cap in accordance with FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 Another connecting device provided with another cap in the wiperlever's operating position.

FIG. 13 A perspective representation viewed from above of the cap inaccordance with FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 A perspective representation viewed from below of the cap inaccordance with FIGS. 12 and 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A wiper arm 12 and a wiper blade 14 linked to it are a part of a wiperlever 10 depicted in FIG. 1. The wiper arm 12 is driven in a pendulumfashion on its one end around an axis 16. In order to be able to producethe articulated connection between wiper arm and wiper blade in a simplemanner, the wiper arm is provided with coupling piece 18 (FIGS. 2 and3), on which the wiper blade 14 can be attached to a coupling element 20via an adapter. The coupling element 20 is solidly connected to asupporting element 22, which in the exemplary embodiment has two springrails 24 lying at a distance from one another in a common plane. The soformed, band-shaped, long-stretched-out supporting element 22 is curvedin its longitudinal direction over its band surfaces 26 and 28. A rubberelastic wiper strip 30 that can be applied to the to-be-wiped window 15is arranged on its concave curved band surface 26 and the couplingelement 20 and as well as a spoiler 23 that supports the wiping work ofthe wiper blade sit on its other convex curved band surface 28. Thisarrangement is depicted in FIG. 3 without the wiper strip and spoiler.As can be seen in more detail there, the coupling element 20 has alongitudinal wall 32, which is solidly connected or welded with thespring rails 24 of the supporting element 22 via holding claws 36situated at a distance 34 from one another in the longitudinaldirection. An articulated pin 38, which is aligned transverse to thelongitudinal direction of the longitudinal wall, projects from thelongitudinal wall 32 of the coupling element 20 on both sides. FIG. 3only shows the one articulated pin that is arranged on the side facingthe observer, however. The axes of the two articulated pins 38 arealigned with one another. In addition, the aforementioned adapter 40(FIG. 3), which is manufactured of an elastic plastic, is also a part ofthe wiper blade. The adapter 40 essentially has a U-shapedcross-section, whose two U-legs 42 extend from the U-base 44 to thesupporting element 22. The distance between the two U-legs 42 iscoordinated with the thickness of the longitudinal wall 32 in such a waythat it can be accommodated with little play between the two legs (FIG.2). To make this possible, the two U-legs are provided with receptacleslots 46 that are open-edged towards their free ends, each of whichtransitions to bearing receptacles 50 for the articulated pins 38 via anarrowing 48 (FIG. 3). As a result, it is possible to lock the adapter40 captively with the coupling part 20, because the narrowing 48 permitsthe articulated pins to arrive in their bearing receptacles 50 duringthe temporary elastic expansion of the narrowing 48 that occurs whenlocking the adapter 40 on the coupling element 20 in the direction ofarrow 52, thereby preventing the adapter from being detached from thearticulated pins 38. The adapter 40 is thereby held in a captive manneron the coupling element 20 or on its articulated pins 38 so that it canmove in a pendulum fashion around the longitudinal axis of thearticulated pins 38. The wiper blade 14 can now be connected in a simplemanner to the coupling piece 18 with the aid of this adapter 40 that isa part of the wiper blade 14. The coupling piece 18 of the wiper arm 12also features a U-shaped cross-section, which is dimensioned in such away that side walls 54 that serve as guide walls for the wiper blade aresituated at a distance 55 from one another that is appropriatelycoordinated with the width 56 of the adapter 40. The U-base wall 58 ofthe coupling piece 18 forms a covering for the articulated connection ina practical way (FIG. 2). In order to be able to connect the couplingpiece 18 of the wiper arm 12 properly with the adapter 40 and thus withthe wiper blade 14, the U-side walls 54 of the coupling piece areprovided with recesses 60 that are open-edged towards the free ends ofthe side walls 54. In order to improve the bearing function and thestability of the adapter, the two bearing receptacles 50 in the U-legs42 of the adapter 40 are equipped with collar-like projections 62, whichextend away from the U-legs 42 and widen the bearing receptacles 50including the narrowings 48. The recesses 60 are used to accommodate theprojections 62 when the wiper lever is assembled. Coordination betweenthe collar-like projections 62 and the depth 61 of the recesses 60 isaccomplished in such a way that the lowest possible play is possible (inthe direction of the height extension of the side walls 54) when thecoupling piece 18 covers the adapter 40 in the position depicted in FIG.2. Known securing means (not shown) are attached in the area of the forepart of the legs 42 or in the area of the recess 60 and these securingmeans also fasten the wiper arm 12 on the adapter 40. In order to securethe articulated connection that is obtained in this manner between thewiper arm 12 and the wiper 14, the wiper lever 10 is provided withsecuring means, which, in the exemplary embodiment, are arranged on theside of the articulated connection facing the pendulum axis 16 (relatedto the axis of the articulated pins 38). On the wiper-blade side, thesecuring means include extensions 66 arranged on at least one of the twoU-legs 42 of the adapter, on each of which extensions a locking tooth 68is arranged (located exposed behind the longitudinal wall 32). Each ofthe locking teeth 68 extends from its extension 66 to the outsidetowards its adjacent side wall 54 of the coupling piece 18. It isprovided with a locking shoulder 70 facing the articulated pin 38. Inaddition, each extension 66 or each locking tooth 68 also has a securingshoulder 72, which points away from the U-base 44 of the adapter 40(FIG. 3). The embodiment of the extensions 66 is accomplished in such away that, as a continuation of the U-leg 42 projecting beyond thelongitudinal wall 32, they lie at a distance from one another and areelastically deflectable towards each other against a restoring force.These securing means on the wiper-blade side are assigned to securingmeans on the wiper-arm side. These are embodied on the coupling piece 18of the wiper arm 12. As FIG. 3 in particular shows, a locking recess 74is provided on each of the two end areas of the side walls 54 facing thependulum axis 16, on which locking recess a counter locking shoulder 76cooperating with the locking shoulder 70 and a counter securing shoulder78 cooperating with the securing shoulder 72 are embodied (FIGS. 2 and3).

For the articulated connection of the wiper blade 14 with the wiper arm12, the adapter 40 is first connected in an articulated manner with thecoupling element 20 in the locking direction (arrow 52, FIG. 3). Thefinished assembly of the wiper blade 14 is thereby achieved practically.Coordination between the coupling element 20 and the adapter 40 isaccomplished in this case so that the adapter can move in a pendulumfashion by a certain extent around the longitudinal axis of the twoarticulated pins 38. Afterwards, the connection of the wiper blade tothe coupling piece 18 of the wiper arm 12 takes place. To do so, thewiper blade with its adapter 40 is inserted between the two side walls54 of the coupling piece 18 in such a way that the collar-likeprojections 62 of the bearing receptacles 50 reach into the recesses 60that are adapted to the contour of these projections. At the same time,the locking teeth 68 with the starting bevels 69 embodied on them hit onthe free ends of the side walls 54 of the coupling piece 18 so that theyare deflected towards each other against a restoring force in the onedirection of the double arrow 67 until they reach into the lockingrecesses 74 in the side walls 54 and spring back there into theirinitial positions under the effect of the restoring force. In thisassembly position that is then achieved and depicted in FIGS. 2 and 4,the locking shoulders 70 cooperate in such a way with the counterlocking shoulders 76 and the securing shoulders 72 with the countersecuring shoulders 78 that and unintentional detachment of the wiperblade from the wiper arm is precluded. In order to facilitate theassembly of the wiper blade on the wiper arm, it can be expedient if theoutside cheeks (facing away from each other) of the U-legs 42 of theadapter 40 are provided with several glide ribs (not shown), whichassume the support between the side walls 54 of the coupling piece 18and the U-legs 42 of the adapter 40. To detach the wiper blade from thewiper arm, the locking teeth 68 must be deflected towards one anotherfar enough that the locking shoulders 70 and the securing shoulders 72disengage from the counter locking shoulders 76 and the counter securingmeans 78. For greater ease of operation, the locking teeth 68 are eachprovided with a handle 80 (FIG. 4, but omitted from FIGS. 2 and 3 inorder to provide a better overview), which extends transverse to thelongitudinal extension or in the movement direction (double arrow 67) ofthe extensions 66 (FIG. 4). The locking teeth 66 located on theextensions 66 therefore form with their locking shoulders 70 andsecuring shoulders 72 the securing means on the wiper-blade side, whichare deflectable against a restoring force transverse to the longitudinalextension of the supporting element 22 in a plane parallel to its bandwidth and which cooperate with counter locking means 74, 76, 78 embodiedon the coupling piece 18. When the wiper blade 14 is connected to thewiper arm 12 in the manner described above and secured againstunintentional detachment via the securing means, it can oscillate aroundthe longitudinal axis of the articulated pins 38 in the direction of thedouble arrow 39 (FIG. 1) because of the articulated connection betweenthe adapter 40 and the coupling element 20.

As FIG. 1 also shows, the to-be-wiped surface of the window or thesurface 17 of the windshield 15 of a motor vehicle is curved. Since thecurvature of the window surface 17 shown in FIG. 1 is supposed torepresent the greatest curvature of the mostly spherically curved windowsurface, it is clearly evident that the curvature of the as yetunstressed wiper blade 14, whose two ends 14′ are adjacent to the windowsurface, is greater than the maximum curvature of the window. Under anapplication force exerted by the wiper arm 12 acting in the direction ofthe arrow 11 (FIG. 1), the wiper blade applies its rubber-elastic wiperstrip 30, arranged on the concave curved band surface 21 of thesupporting element 22, over its entire length to the window surface 17.In doing so, tension builds up in the elastic supporting element 22manufactured of metal and this tension is responsible for a properapplication of the wiper strip over its entire length on the window aswell as for a uniform distribution of the pressure force (arrow 11)caused by the application force. Moreover, the supporting element withits spring rails 24 is responsible for the required transversestabilization of the rubber-elastic wiper strip 30. Because the window,which is spherically curved as a rule, does not represent a section of aspherical surface, the wiper blade must be able to constantly adaptvis-à-vis the wiper arm during its wiper operation to the respectiveposition and the progression of the window surface. As a result, asmooth-running articulated connection is required between the wiper armand the wiper blade that makes an oscillating movement (double arrow 39in FIG. 1) around the articulated pin axis possible.

So that this articulated connection is protected against environmentalinfluences, e.g., street dirt, snow, ice, etc., and the wiper lever alsofeatures a pleasing, appealing optical design in the transitional areabetween the wiper arm and the wiper blade, this articulated connectionis covered by a cap held on the wiper blade, which features a passageembodied as an opening through which the wiper arm 12 grips to form thewiper lever with its coupling piece 18.

In order to guarantee simple assembly of the wiper lever and thus toalso make it possible for a layman to change the wiper blade in anuncomplicated manner, the cap must be embodied correspondingly, takingthe design and arrangement of the securing means into consideration aswell as the embodiment of the associated handles. Three differentembodiments of such a cap will be described in the following on thebasis of FIGS. 5 though 7, 8 through 11 and 12 through 14.

In the case of the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 5 through 7, thesecuring means feature two handles 80, which are opposite from oneanother as seen transverse to the longitudinal extension of the wiperarm 12. FIG. 4 should also be observed for the arrangement andembodiment of the handles as well as for the arrangement of the cap onthe wiper blade. The cap 100 has an essentially trough-like design (FIG.7). The trough edge 102 of the cap is facing the supporting element 22of the wiper blade 14 when the cap is mounted and is locked with it inthe exemplary embodiment. FIG. 7 shows that the trough base of the cap100 has been removed almost completely so that a passage or apenetration opening 104 is produced for the coupling piece 18 of thewiper arm 12. Therefore, the cap 100 has essentially two parallellongitudinal walls 106, which are connected to each other at their endsby a transverse wall 108 and a transverse strut 110. Near the transversestrut 110, the two longitudinal walls 106 are provided with recesses orformations 112 into which the handles 80 of the securing means projectwhen the cap 100 is mounted on the wiper blade. This situation can beseen in FIGS. 4 through 6 and 7. Since the formations 112 are open-edgedas seen from the penetration opening 104, the aforementioned oscillatingmovement (double arrow 39 in FIG. 1) of the wiper blade 14 is notrestricted. This relative movement between the wiper arm 12 and thewiper blade 14 is substantiated in FIGS. 5 and 6 in which each of thetwo end positions of the oscillating movement (double arrow 39) isdepicted (FIG. 1). FIGS. 4 through 7 show that the adapter is equippedwith two opposing handles 80 projecting towards the cap and that each ofthe longitudinal or trough walls 106 of the cap 100 adjacent to thehandles is provided with a recess 112 allocated to the related handle,into which recess the respective handle projects. Both handles 80 areeasily accessible for operation and can be actuated in a simple mannerby pressing them together simultaneously. With their end surfaces 101they complete the outer trough wall surfaces so that no opticallyirritating recesses are produced (FIG. 5). Recesses 114 in thetransverse wall 108 and in the transverse strut 110 make it possible tolead the spoiler partial section 23 though under the cap 100.

In the case of the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 8 through 10, thehandles 80 of the securing means are dimensioned in such a way that donot extend laterally or only insignificantly beyond the coupling piece18 of the wiper arm 12. Thus, they dip through the penetration opening116 completely into the cap 115 when it is in the final position of thewiper blade oscillation movement (double arrow 39 in FIG. 1), as shownin FIG. 8. In the other final position (FIG. 9), though the handles 80are accessible, this position is only achieved temporarily during thewiping operation so that unintentional actuation of the handles 80 isprecluded. The wiper blade can therefore only be detached from the wiperarm if the entire wiper device is at a standstill, the wiper arm isfolded away from the window and the wiper blade has been swiveledmanually vis-à-vis the wiper arm into the position shown in FIG. 9.Actuating the handles 80, whose positioning corresponds to the handles80 in FIGS. 4 through 6, is then possible without special effort whenobserving this requirement.

However, if for certain reasons an all-around closed cap 120 thatcompletely covers the handles 80 (as illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10)is supposed to be used for a wiper lever whose handles must project intothe contour of the cap 130 for certain reasons, e.g., due to a greaterease of operation, it has proven to be advantageous if the trough wall121 of the cap 120 adjacent to the handles is provided on its inner sidewith a groove-like indentation 122, which extends from the penetrationopening 123 to the trough edge 121 so that the handle can project intothis indentation (FIG. 11).

In the arrangement in accordance with FIGS. 12 through 14, the designsof the securing means and their handles correspond essentially to theembodiment according to FIGS. 8 through 10. Therefore, the longitudinalwalls 131 of the cap 130 are not provided with passage recesses for thehandles 80, because they do not project laterally or onlyinsignificantly from the coupling piece 18 of the wiper arm 12. In thisembodiment of the invention, each of the two longitudinal trough walls131 is equipped with an elastically yielding area 133 in order tooperate the handles 80 that are completely covered by the two sides.These two areas 133 are allocated to the handles 80, i.e., they aredirectly opposite from the handles 80 (FIG. 12). Since the caps 130 aremanufactured of an elastic plastic, the yielding area 133 allocated tothe handles 80 can be achieved in many ways. In the exemplaryembodiment, slot-like break-throughs 134 that partially encompass theseareas 133 are arranged in the trough walls 131. These break-throughs areembodied in such a way that the area is practically formed by a tongue,which is connected elastically with the remaining trough wall 131 via aconnecting piece 135. In order to bridge a possible distance between theinner side of these tongues 133 and the surfaces of the handles facingthem and thereby avoid a certain empty movement of the tongues, theyielding areas 133, i.e., the tongues, are each provided on their innersides with a support 136 extending towards the handle 80 (FIG. 14).

FIG. 14 also shows the arrangement of four locking claws 140 on thetrough wall 141 of the cap 130, which oppose one another in pairs. Thedistance 142 between the front sides 143 (pointing away from oneanother) of the holding claws 140 arranged on the same trough wall iscoordinated in such a way with the dimension 34 between the claws 36 ofthe coupling element 20 (FIG. 3) that the locking claws 140 of the cap130 form positioning aids in cooperation with the claws 36 of thecoupling element 20, thereby simplifying assembly of the cap 130 on thewiper blade 14 or on the supporting element 22. The holding claws 36 ofthe coupling element 20 or their fore parts that face away from eachanother, therefore, form limit stops defined on the supporting element22, which determine the assembly position of the cap on the supportingelement in cooperation with the locking claws 140 of the cap 130 thatform counter limit stops. Due to corresponding coordination of thedistance dimension of the claws 36 to the handles 80 of the securingmeans (this dimension is fixed due to the position of the adapter 40 onthe articulated pins 38), the dimension of the locking claws 140 of thecap 130 to the elastically yielding area 133 or to the tongues and thusthe assembly position of the cap 130 on the wiper blade is clearlydetermined.

As FIGS. 1 and 12 show, the wiper blade 14 is provided with a winddeflector strip 23 (also called a spoiler) on the convex curved side 28of the supporting element 22, which, however, must feature alongitudinal recess there where the coupling element 20 is connected tothe supporting element 22. As a result, the transverse wall 108 isprovided with a recess 114 adapted to the contour of the wind deflectorstrip, through which the spoiler can be guided until under the cap. Thetransverse strut 110 also features such a recess for the spoiler 23 sothat a non-harmonious transition between the spoiler and the cap can beavoided.

It is clearly evident from the description of the various exemplaryembodiments that the connecting device has means at its disposal thatcan be actuated with at least one handle to secure the connectionbetween the wiper arm and the wiper blade and that the cap accommodatesthe handle in such way it does not appear to be optically irritating,and despite this is easily accessible while protected againstunintentional actuation. The “accommodation” of the handle by the capshall be understood such that it does not project over the contours ofthe cap. Therefore, purposeful action is required in order to actuatethe securing means with the handle.

1. Wiper lever (10) with a driven wiper arm (12) and a wiper blade (14)linked to it for cleaning the windows of motor vehicles in particular,which is provided with a band-like, long-stretched-out, elasticsupporting element (22) that is curved in the longitudinal directionover its band surfaces (26, 28), which features a rubber elastic wiperstrip (30) that can be applied to the window on its concave curved bandsurface (26), on whose convex curved band surface (28) a couplingelement (20) sits to connect the wiper blade to a coupling piece (18) ofthe wiper arm and the articulated connection is covered by a cap (100)that is held on the wiper blade, characterized in that this articulatedconnection has at its disposal means to secure the connection betweenthe wiper arm (12) and the wiper blade (14) that can be actuated with atleast one handle (80) and that the cap (100) accommodates the handle(80).
 2. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that anadapter (40), which can be connected to the coupling piece (18) of thewiper arm and is a part of the articulated connection, is linked to thecoupling element (20) of the wiper blade, on which adapter the handle(80) for the securing means is arranged and that the embodiment of thecap (100) permits the actuation of the securing means.
 3. Wiper leveraccording to claim 2, characterized in that the adapter (40) composed ofan elastic plastic has locking means that form the securing means, thatcan be actuated via the handle (80) and that can be deflected against arestoring force transverse to the longitudinal extension of thesupporting element (22) in an at least almost parallel plane to its bandwidth, which locking means cooperate with counter locking means embodiedon the coupling piece (18) of the wiper arm.
 4. Wiper lever according toclaim 2, characterized in that the cap (100) is embodied to betrough-like with its trough edge (102) facing the supporting element(22), that the cap is provided with a penetration opening (104) for thewiper arm and that the adapter (40) is equipped with the handle (80)projecting towards the longitudinal trough wall (106) of the cap. 5.Wiper lever according to claim 4, characterized in that the trough wall(106) of the cap (100) that is adjacent to the handle (80) is providedwith a recess (112) allocated to this handle.
 6. Wiper lever accordingto claim 5, characterized in that the handle (80) projects into thisrecess (112).
 7. Wiper lever according to claim 4, characterized in thatthe trough wall (121) of the cap (120) that is adjacent to the handle isprovided on its inner side with a groove-like indentation (122), whichextends from the passage (123) to the trough edge (124) and that thehandle (80) projects into this indentation (122).
 8. Wiper leveraccording to claim 4, characterized in that the trough wall (131) of thecap (130) manufactured of an elastic plastic that is adjacent to thehandle (80) features an elastically yielding area (133) that isallocated to the handle.
 9. Wiper lever according to claim 8,characterized in that the elastically yielding area (133) is formed byat least one slot-like break-through (134) in the tough wall (131) thatpartially encompasses this area.
 10. Wiper lever according to claim 8,characterized in that the elastically yielding area (133) of the troughwall (131) is provided with a support (136) on its inner side thatextends towards the handle (80).
 11. Wiper lever according to claim 3,characterized in that the securing means feature two handles (80)arranged at a distance from one another in their deflected direction,wherein the securing of the connection between the wiper arm (12) andthe wiper blade (14) is detached in the deflected position of thehandles (80) when they approach one another.
 12. Wiper lever accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the cap (130) is locked with thesupporting element (22) of the wiper blade (14).
 13. Wiper leveraccording to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting element (22)is provided with at least two limit stops (36) each pointing in opposinglongitudinal directions, to which corresponding counter limit stops(143) of the cap (130) are allocated.
 14. Wiper blade for cleaning thewindows of motor vehicles in particular with a band-like,long-stretched-out, elastic supporting element (22) that is curved inthe longitudinal direction over its band surfaces (26, 28), on whoseconcave curved band surface (26) a rubber elastic wiper strip (30) issituated and on whose convex curved band surface (28) a coupling element(20) is arranged to connect the wiper blade (14) to a driven wiper arm(12) in an articulated manner, wherein the coupling element (20) isprovided with an adapter (40), which features means to secure the wiperblade on the wiper arm, which can be moved from a locked position intoan unlocked position, so that the coupling element (20) and its adapter(40) are covered by a cap (100) featuring a passage (104) for the wiperarm (12), whose embodiment permits the actuation of the securing means.15. Wiper lever according to claim 3, characterized in that the cap(100) is embodied to be trough-like with its trough edge (102) facingthe supporting element (22), that the cap is provided with a penetrationopening (104) for the wiper arm and that the adapter (40) is equippedwith the handle (80) projecting towards the longitudinal trough wall(106) of the cap.
 16. Wiper lever according to claim 9, characterized inthat the elastically yielding area (133) of the trough wall (131) isprovided with a support (136) on its inner side that extends towards thehandle (80).